19 DEAD, QUESTIONS UNANSWERED: ABHISHEK BANERJEE DEMANDS ACCOUNTABILITY OVER ALLEGED POLICE INACTION AFTER KOLKATA STAMPEDE
October 29, 2026
KOLKATA, OCTOBER 29, 2026: Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee has questioned the West Bengal police administration over its failure to arrest prominent BJP leaders associated with the organising committee of the Chorbagan Durga Puja pandal, where a stampede on October 17 claimed 19 lives and injured at least 25 people.
In a social media post, Banerjee asked why individuals holding prominent positions in the organising committee had not faced arrest, while ordinary citizens were allegedly being targeted for questioning the government’s response to the tragedy.
The controversy centres on the reported association of BJP Jorasanko MLA Bijay Ojha, the party’s north Kolkata district president Tamoghna Ghosh and Debdeep Adhikari, identified in the committee’s publicity material as its chief patron, with the puja organisers. Banerjee questioned whether the investigation was examining the responsibilities of all those connected with the event.
The police have arrested several people, including members of the organising committee and personnel responsible for crowd management. Investigators are examining possible negligence, inadequate crowd-control arrangements and failures in emergency coordination. However, the prominent BJP leaders named in the controversy had not been arrested at the time of the reports.
Banerjee also criticised the police for arresting a man from Cooch Behar over allegedly misleading social media posts concerning the death toll. He questioned whether the administration was prioritising action against critics over establishing accountability for the deaths.
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, meanwhile, has warned of legal action against those spreading what he described as false narratives about the stampede. The government has promised an investigation and announced compensation of ₹25 lakh, along with a government job for one member of each deceased victim’s family.
The political dispute has intensified scrutiny of the investigation, particularly the question of whether political connections will influence the identification of responsibility. Banerjee’s allegations remain contested, and the investigation must establish the individual roles, if any, of those associated with the organising committee.
The central issue remains the determination of how the tragedy occurred, whether preventable failures contributed to the loss of life and whether all individuals found responsible will face appropriate legal action.
